Tennessee Predicted to Land Coveted Star Amid Texas Surge
The Texas Longhorns are doing their best to push for a 2026 star linebacker just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. But the Tennessee Volunteers remain the favorite.
That’s what On3’s Chad Simmons reported Friday when he wrote highly touted linebacker Brayden Rouse was returning to Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend to see the Volunteers’ campus.
“Tennessee has been the team to beat from the beginning for Brayden Rouse,” Simmons wrote. “Others have pushed, others have had him on campus and others continue to battle, but we still see this one at Tennessee’s to lose.
“Texas has emerged as the biggest competition for the Vols. Rouse was in Austin last weekend, but he is back in Knoxville this weekend and the Vols will look to close on this one.”
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine projected an 87.9% chance Rouse commits to the Volunteers. The machine gave Texas, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and Michigan Wolverines all under a 5% of landing the linebacker.
Those four schools have been the top contenders for Rouse for weeks.
The linebacker has visited all four programs since May 30. The Tennessee visit during the weekend of June 20 was Rouse’s last scheduled visit.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Rouse is the No. 5 linebacker and ninth-rated Georgia prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. A Marietta, Georgia native, Rouse is also the No. 86 overall recruit for 2026 based on the same ratings.
Tennessee will likely be trying to pick up a few recruiting wins over the weekend, which could help the program move up the rankings.
According to 247Sports, the Volunteers have the 37th-ranked class for 2026.
